Sights at Sunset
by Demons of Disbelief
Summary: Kits were born, died, and made warriors between the pages of the books.
1. A Warrior's Choice

" _Crowfeather pressed closer to her and drew his tongue over her face and ears with gentle, comforting strokes. "You did follow your heart," he meowed. "Your heart told you to come home. You could never be happy away from your Clan."_

 _Leafpool turned her head and saw pain glisten in his amber eyes. "But what about you?" she whispered._

 _Crowfeather bowed his head. "Your heart lies here. Not with me. It was never truly with me."_

 _Leafpool felt as though she were being torn in two, but she knew Crowfeather was right. She loved him, but not enough. For a few heartbeats she leaned into him, feeling his warmth and strength for the last time. Then she touched Cinderpelt's fur with her nose._

" _It's all right," she murmured. "I'll stay here and take good care of the Clan, I promise. One day we'll meet again, walking among the stars."_

…

 _Leafpool glanced over at Crowfeather, who was still crouched outside the nursery, then turned back to her sister. "I'm glad to be back, too." Crowfeather stood up as the WindClan cats came back into the camp. "Look, it's Crowfeather!" Whitetail exclaimed. "What's he doing here?" Onestar stalked over to stand in front of the gray-black warrior. "Crowfeather, you came back … but not to your own Clan." ~Twilight_

Leafpool and Crowfeather's eyes met, and his posture straightened smoothly. The black warrior collected himself and stood in front of Onestar.

"I am sorry that I never warned you that I was leaving, Onestar. That was wrong. However, I cannot return to WindClan yet, not when my heart lies in ThunderClan. If they will have me, I would remain with ThunderClan."

Firestar looked exhausted. His state made Leafpool's fur bristle in worry, partially for her father and partially for her leader. His fur was bloody and matted, one ear was clawed almost in half, and he appeared to be forcing himself to remain on his paws. After studying the young WindClan warrior for a long moment, he looked to where Leafpool waited anxiously.

"Crowfeather is one of the cats of the prophecy. He lead us to our new territories, and ThunderClan thanks him for that. If Crowfeather wishes to stay, there is no reason ThunderClan to refuse a worthy warrior. After my warriors have recovered, I will travel to the Moonpool to speak with StarClan about this," the ginger tom was wounded, but still powerful. He met Onestar's eyes evenly.

"Very well. If Firestar accepts you, I cannot force you to return with us. Good hunting, Crowfeather. You are no longer welcome on WindClan land," Onestar turned from his former warrior to Firestar.

" _Onestar, every cat in ThunderClan thanks you," Firestar meowed. "Without you, StarClan would have gained many more warriors."_

" _You've helped WindClan in the past," Onestar replied. "It's only right that we should come and help you."_

" _We won't forget—" Firestar began._

 _He was interrupted by a startled yowl from Thornclaw, who was closest to the camp entrance. Squirrelflight stiffened. Had the badgers come back? She didn't think she could lift a single paw now, even to save her life._

 _But her exhaustion vanished when she saw two cats carefully picking their way through the scattered thorn branches. The first of them, a powerful warrior with a thick gray pelt, stopped at the edge of the clearing and looked around._

" _This isn't what I expected to find," he meowed. "What happened?"_

 _Squirrelflight stared in disbelief. After the badger attack, she had thought nothing else could shock her, but for a heartbeat she forgot how to breathe._

 _Gazing curiously around them, sleek furred and calm among the shattered Clan, were Stormfur and Brook. ~ Twilight_


	2. Old and New

Ashfoot said nothing as they returned to camp. She hung behind her Clanmates, eyes tired and tail all but dragging on the ground as she walked. Onestar felt much as she did, but he stayed to the front of his warriors and watched carefully for any stragglers caused by injuries

When they were across their border, he turned to his cats and assessed their injuries. Owlwhisker had been clawed across his pelt, and was worst off. He was leaning against Tornear heavily and blood was already staining the elder cat's fur. After insuring he could walk, Onestar led them through the patch of forest and across the moor slowly. In the voices behind him he heard no protest of his leadership in taking them to ThunderClan, only discussion of injuries and Crowfeather. He wondered briefly if he would rather have them saying he had put them all in danger rather than knowing one of his best warriors had abandoned him.

As they entered the camp, Barkface stuck his head out of his den and glanced over the returning warriors. After a brief moment, he vanished, only to reappear with horsetail in his teeth. He settled Owlwhisker on his side and quickly placed the poultice onto the warrior's wounds. Morningflower padded into the medicine den, bringing out cobwebs and offering them to Barkface. Ashfoot didn't pause on her way to the warrior's den, vanishing into the gorse without so much as a backward glance. Her pain made Onestar's fur prickle in sympathy. Crowfeather had been all the she-cat had left of her mate and lost kit.

"How was the battle?" Whitetail had appeared from the nursery, sitting beside her mate as he watched the warriors crowd Barkface.

"It went well. Owlwhisker is the worst injured, and I think he'll live. ThunderClan's camp was overrun. I don't know what they did with their kits or elders. If they remained in that camp they would all have been dead." He glanced down to his mate, "Do you think I did the right thing? Taking them to ThunderClan?"

"If the battle was as bad as you say, we may need their help if the badgers decide to attack us." His mate looked to the warrior's den, "Is Ashfoot injured?"

"Crowfeather was in ThunderClan. He has chosen to become Leafpool's mate."

"Leafpool is a medicine cat! How can she take a mate?" Whitetail pressed herself into his fur, her eyes turning to where Barkface treated the warriors with skilled paws at the pained hiss from Webfoot, who had a bloody paw.

"Firestar intends to speak with StarClan after he has recovered from his injuries. Until then, he decided Crowfeather was welcome to remain as a warrior," Onestar's voice had turned bitter, but his mate ignored that. Whitetail had caught the faint scent of blood. She brushed her muzzle across his pelt and frowned.

"You're injured?"

"Barely. Only a few scrapes. The badgers were surprised by our sudden appearance. I will wait until Barkface has helped the warriors," Onestar glanced into the shadowed den behind them, considering her nest. "I will help you clean out the moss tomorrow."

Whitetail purred her amusement, "Isn't that a job for apprentices?"

"We have no apprentices," Onestar replied, turning back to where Barkface was pressing a paw to Nightcloud's belly where a badger's claw had scraped her.

"We will soon," Whitetail meowed softly, pressing one paw to the curve of her belly in which their kits grew. "WindClan remains strong."

ooOoo

In the shade of the ShadowClan pines, a tall tabby she-cat placed a paw on the tail of the excited dark brown kit at her paws. She then leaned down to lick his fur into place over his struggles.

"Tallpoppy! I look fine!"

His mother gave him a disapproving look and pointed to his brother with her tail, "Marshkit looks fine. You need your fur to lie flat before Blackstar is ready."

"Let me do it, then!"

"Make sure you clean your ears. Applekit, come here, let me fix your tail," she meowed firmly. Most of the Clan was settled in the clearing, aware of the impending apprentice ceremony. Blackstar and Russetfur had not yet appeared from his den, and Tallpoppy was struggling to groom her kits properly while watching Ivykit and Owlkit, who peered at the camp from the entrance to the nursery.

Just as she was finishing Applekit's grooming, Blackstar appeared, Russetfur slithering from the den to where her kits satat the camp, "Applekit, Toadkit, Marshkit, come to the front."

Applekit bolted to the branch where Blackstar balanced. Toadkit was only a few pawsteps behind his sister, nearly running Tawnypelt over in her haste. Marshkit was more composed, padding through the gathering warriors to look up at Blackstar.

"Tallpoppy, are you certain you wish to present these kits to the Clan?"

"Yes, Blackstar. They are over six moons old and large enough to battle a warrior." Her kits preened at that, Toadkit reaching up with one paw to smooth his fur into place as Blackstar's eyes settled on them.

"Very well. Applekit, you have reached the age of six moons and have shown yourself ready to be apprenticed. From this day, until you recieve your warrior name, you shall be known as Applepaw. Your mentor will be Rowanclaw. Rowanclaw, you have become a strong and dedicated warrior and I hope you will pass those traits onto Applepaw.

"Toadkit, you have reached the age of six moons and have shown yourself ready to be apprenticed. From this day until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Toadpaw. Your mentor will be Cedarheart. Cedarheart, you are a warrior who has shown great courage and forethought. I hope you will pass these skills on to Toadpaw.

"Marshkit, you have reached the age of six moons and have shown yourself ready to be apprenticed. From this day until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Marshpaw. I learned much from Cinderfur during my time as his apprentice. He shared with me his loyalty and wisdom and I hope to pass those traits on to you."

Blackstar lept from the branch to touch noses with his new apprentice, who looked utterly terrified to be apprenticed to the leader of his Clan. Cedarheart and Rowanclaw moved to meet their new apprentices as well, while the camp descended into yowls of greeting.

Tallpoppy met her former mentor's eyes over her Clanmates, and at his questioning gaze, she raised her tail to signify her approval.

ooOoo

Mistyfoot's mid-day nap on the warm rocks near mouth of the river was very suddenly interrupted when Beechpaw's screech sounded from upstream. The apprentice and his mentor had been fishing from shallow rocks. Beechpaw was having trouble catching larger fish, and this particular section of the river was one of the best places to catch fish.

"Swallowtail!" The young apprentice sounded half-drowned, and Mistyfoot looked up just in time to see Blackclaw's leap miss the dark tabby she-cat, who was swept by the current downstream. Blackclaw pulled himself out of the water, running through the shallows toward her. RiverClan had nearly lost Reedwhisker, their best swimmer, at the mouth of the river and cats were forbidden to swim there due to the current. If Swallowtail reached the current, she would be pulled under by the current and likely drown. Not even the strongest RiverClan warrior could pull the weight of another cat out of the swift current.

Mistyfoot sprang to her paws. She waded through the shallow water and lept to the rock in the middle of the river. It was the last rock before the lake. Swallowtail came rushing past, and Mistyfoot dug her front claws into her Clanmates shoulders. Swallowtail yowled in pain, but did not struggle against her grasp even as Mistyfoot scented blood. Instead, the she-cat dug her own claws into the rock Mistyfoot was balanced on. They scraped ineffectively, the rock to hard for a proper grip, but the action reassured Mistyfoot that Swallowtail had kept her wits about her.

Her own fur was being soaked by the water. Her back paws slipped on the wet rock, and she was pulled forward by Swallowtail's weight in the current. Mistyfoot was a strong cat, her forelegs strengthened by dragging fish from the water, yet she could not muster the force to pull Swallowtail out of the current with only her hind legs. She pressed her belly to the rock and focused on her Clanmate rather than the rush of water sweeping past her.

Behind her, a loud splash indicated the arrival of more cats. Claws dug into Mistyfoot's hind legs, and dragged her back onto the rock. Blackclaw nearly crowded her off the rock, but between them, they pulled Swallowtail up and onto the rock.

"Go back to shore! I'll get her," Blackclaw meowed. The deputy lept to the shore, while the tom urged Swallowtail to leap the fox-length into the shallows, where Mistyfoot and Beechpaw quickly helped her to the damp sand alongside the bank. While her Clanmates licked her fur dry and examined her for injuries, Swallowtail shivered violently. Her fur was plastered to her skin, paws shaking and eyes wide. She turned to Mistyfoot.

"I believe I should join the elders soon, if I can't pull myself out of the current."

"Nonsense," Blackclaw answered sharply, "Reedwhisker was caught in the came current and he is one of our best warriors. Let us help you to camp, Swallowtail. Mothwing will know how to help."

"Blackclaw is right. You are still strong enough to hunt and fight, and the current is strong here," Mistyfoot agreed. She shook her fur out and led her Clanmates through the reeds up to camp. Swallowtail was stumbling as they entered camp. While Blackclaw escorted her to the medicine den, Mistyfoot cleaned the rest of the water off her pelt while waiting for Leopardstar to exit her den.

Mothpelt could heal almost anything with her supplies, but she did not have herbs to replace confidence.


	3. Dying Sun

_At last Leafpool understood. Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost were kin; blood had indeed spilled blood. Brambleclaw had killed his half brother to save Firestar. She had been right about Hawkfrost—he was too ambitious, too much like his father, Tigerstar—but she had never imagined that Brambleclaw would be the cat to stop him._

 _The prophecy that had haunted her paw steps for so long was finally fulfilled. Now the Clans could look forward to the peace that it had promised. And now that Hawkfrost was dead, Mothwing would be free of his attempts to control her. The secret of the moth's wing sign would be safe forever._

 _Leafpool turned away from Hawkfrost's body and went to join her father and Squirrelflight. Leaning on Squirrelflight's shoulder, Firestar had managed to sit up. Brambleclaw stood in silence beside them, still apparently stunned with shock, not even trying to clean Hawkfrost's blood from his paws._

" _It's over," Leafpool told them quietly. She squared her shoulders and turned her face to the rising sun. "It's over, and peace has come." ~Sunset_

"Try to stir Brambleclaw," she instructed her sister, "I'm going to find cobwebs for Firestar."

Leafpool could scent the tang of horsetail the moment she stepped away from the blood-soaked ground. She followed it up the lakeshore, where a patch grew all but in the water. Nipping off several stems, she turned to the large oak growing near the lakeshore, hoping for cobwebs in the branches. A thick, clean spiral of silk coated the first branch up which was half-broken. She had found more than cobwebs here, for at the base of the oak, was the largest patch of thyme she had ever seen on ThunderClan territory.

By the time she returned, Brambleclaw was trying to clean his paws as Squirrelflight cleaned Firestar's wounds. Leafpool dropped the tansy beside the dark tabby, "Eat this."

She then chewed the horsetail into a poultice which she then secured against Firestar's wounds with the cobwebs she had collected. Her father's wound was deep, but not deadly. Her eyes wandered to the slowly-ebbing blood from Hawkfrost's wounds, aware that is could easily have been Firestar in the RiverClan warrior's place.

"Over here!"

The sight of Ashfur and Brackenfur through the long grass brought new purpose to Leafpool. The patrol burst upon the scene with raised hackles and unsheathed claws. The time it would take her to explain the problem to the patrol was time that could be spent getting her father back to camp.

"Brackenfur, Spiderleg, help Firestar back to camp. I need marigold and I won't find any here. Whitepaw, run back to camp and find Sandstorm or Dustpelt, tell them Hawkfrost is dead and we need to inform Leopardstar. Ashfur, stay here with his body, and Ferncloud, can you help Squirrelflight with Brambleclaw?"

As his apprentice vanished into the grass, Brackenfur paused beside Leafpool, so close their whiskers brushed, "Ashfur told us that Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost tried to kill Firestar."

"Brambleclaw saved Firestar by killing Hawkfrost. We won't know anything more until I get Firestar back to camp and examine his neck closer." Brackenfur moved to the ginger tom's side to help as Leafpool ducked into the reeds toward camp.

Halfway to camp, Crowfeather, Sandstorm, and Goldenflower appeared, all three wide-eyed and tinted with fear scent.

"Is Fire-"

"Where is Brambleclaw? Where is my son?" Goldenflower was rarely out of camp these days. Her paws were weak and she was very thin, but right now she was wild-eyed and looked the warrior she had once been.

"He's in shock, but he's going to be all right," Leafpool assured her. "Firestar will recover as well, thanks to Brambleclaw. Hawkfrost tried to kill him."

Goldenflower shoved past her, following the she-cat's scent trail back to where Squirrelflight gently urged Brambleclaw down the path Leafpool had forged through the undergrowth. Sandstorm followed, intent on finding her mate. Crowfeather pressed into Leafpool's fur.

"We have to tell RiverClan," he meowed softly. "Leopardstar will not like her warrior dead on our territory," Leafpool forced her fur to settle along her shoulders, With their leader badly injured and deputy unlikely to be making any important decision in the near future, ThunderClan could not afford a battle.

"Go back to camp, have Brightheart collect a patrol and follow Thornclaw to the RiverClan border. Make sure they don't see you," she instructed softly. "If it comes to a battle, send a runner back to camp for me."

The lithe black warrior turned and hurtled up the slope, his tail tip vanishing before Leafpool collected herself enough to take a pawstep. Behind her, Sandstorm had bullied her way into Spiderleg's place beside Firestar. The brown warrior moved early enough, then darted up the trail after Crowfeather, clearly intent on the possible battle.

~ooOoo~

"Blackclaw, Mothwing, Reedwhisker, Voletooth," Leopardstar gathered her warriors with a flick of her tail, catching sight of the apprentices slipping from their place in the shadow of the cool rocks beside the river to stand beside their mentors. "Beechpaw and Ripplepaw, stay here."

"We're almost warriors," Beechpaw protested sharply, meeting Leopardstar's eyes. The fur along the young tom's spine was raised, his eyes wide, and claws trembling against the ground.

"We do not need to go to war with ThunderClan before determining what happened. Stay here. In camp," ears flicking, she turned back to Thornclaw. "Take me to my warrior."

Leopardstar had long since lost any true affection for warriors of another Clan, but as she followed the golden tabby through the river and against the lakeshore, she could not deny that Thornclaw was a brave warrior. Although he flicked water off his paws distastefully after crossing the river, he did not hesitate to swim or splash through the shallows. Leopardstar scented blood long before they reached a small clearing among high reeds and tall grass.

The thin wire of a fox trap was covered in blood, a thin silver tendril stretching toward the lake, alongside bloody pawprints, but Mothwing didn't seem to notice. She stumbled over the wire, half-leaping awkwardly, eyes fixed on the dark shape beside the lake shore. She forced herself past her Clanmates, shoving herself between a gray ThunderClan warrior and her brother's body, and lowered her muzzle to his tabby fur. Then she wailed, collapsing in the water which splashed against the shore from her weight, nearly reaching her muzzle, and throwing her head back to shriek her sorrow to the darkening sky.

Blackclaw slipped forward, stepping over his former apprentice and lowering his muzzle to Hawkfrost's blood-matted fur. After a moment, he stepped backward with a jerk that caused Hawkfrost's body to shudder. As he turned, he spat out a bloody stick, catching it with one paw before it could roll back toward the lake.

 _The stick from the fox trap._ Leopardstar eyed it, the thin wire chewed but still wrapped tightly around it, the claw-marks on the wood, and the subtle scent of ThunderClan blood underneath the RiverClan blood coating it. She felt the weight of her warriors' gaze, aware that Ashfur's pelt was prickling nervously as he sidestepped Blackclaw to stand beside Thornclaw. The elder warrior watched her as well, eyes cautious but unafraid.

Hawkfrost had been a loyal and skilled warrior. Leopardstar had trained him herself, seeing another cat in his broad tabby shoulders long before they left the forest. He was brave in battle, bold in defeat, and kind to his Clanmates. She had not expected him to die like this, in an attempt to murder the leader of another Clan on a territory not his own for reasons which Leopardstar would not pretend to understand. He was a traitor to the warrior code and to RiverClan, but allowing ThunderClan to kill her warrior would suggest she was weak. She forced her paws to remain still, and kept her claws carefully sheathed as she turned to Thornclaw.

"Is Firestar alive?"

"Yes, but badly injured. Leafpool says he will not be able to speak until the wound from the fox trap heals."

"When he can speak, have him send for me. I would hear how Hawkfrost died from a cat who was there. Blackclaw, Voletooth, carry Hawkfrost. Reedwhisker, see if you can get Mothwing back to camp," Leopardstar turned, intent on returning to her own territory with her warriors.

Thornclaw said nothing, only waited with his tail wrapped around his paws as Leopardstar gathered her patrol. Reedwhisker managed to heave Mothwing to her paws, letting her rest heavily against him as she followed Blackclaw and Voletooth with sightless despair. When Leopardstar looked back through the reeds, she found the ThunderClan cats had vanished back into their own territory.

~ooOoo~

"Leafpool? Thornclaw and Ashfur have returned to camp."

"Should I tell Brambleclaw?"

"Is Brambleclaw capable of handling this?" Sandstorm's eyes were gentle, but Leafpool's ears flickered in embarrassment. Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight were curled up together in the medicine den with a watchful Goldenflower. He was asleep courtesy of poppy seeds and dock rubbed into his pads. The tom had been asleep before Leafpool pulled the last splinter from his paws.

"No. Firestar isn't either, though. I need to give him juniper berries and poppy seeds, but he can't swallow and I don't have any heather nectar. Sweet-sedge would help, but I don't have any and I don't want to spend too long by the RiverClan border after Hawkfrost died there. It isn't wise to give RiverClan another reason to consider us an enemy."

"When the leader and deputy of a Clan are incapable of leading, that duty falls to the medicine cat," Sandstorm brushed her muzzle against Leafpool's ears. "I know you'll do the right thing. I'm going to sit with Firestar."

 _I know how to heal my Clanmates, not lead them._ Leafpool dearly wished she could fetch Dustpelt from the shade under the camp wall or Brackenfur from the nursery and demand they deal with Thornclaw's report. The warrior made straight for her, Ashfur breaking away and padding over to where Ferncloud lay.

"Leopardstar wishes to speak to Firestar when he has recovered. She will take no action until she has heard from him the actions of her warrior," Thornclaw told her, sitting to glance into the medicine den. Leafpool's tail tapped a rhythm on the ground involuntarily. _If Cinderpelt were here, she would know what to do._

Leafpool was a medicine cat. She knew the best places to gather herbs, how many she could take without killing the plant and when the sickness was bad enough that she should take the herbs back to camp and find a new source later. She knew what herbs could heal broken bones, sooth sore hearts, and ease the suffering of a dying cat. She did not know how to command a Clan.

The scent of a ThunderClan cat touched by stars wreathed around her, and the soft meow of a warrior long since dead touched her ears. _You are a medicine cat, Leafpool. Use your skills._

"Thank you, Thornclaw," understanding his dismissal, the warrior ducked into the medicine den. "Brightheart?" The she-cat lifted her head from the fresh-kill pile and padded over, Cloudtail leaving Brackenfur to follow in her pawsteps. "Can you go to the WindClan border and see if any heather nectar can be found on our side of the border?"

"For Firestar?"

"He can't swallow juniper or poppy, and he needs both," Leafpool explained, quietly enough so only the cats near her could hear.

"We'll bring some back," Brightheart promised, stretching to touch her nose to Leafpool before turning and darting out of the camp with Cloudtail. Crowfeather and Whitepaw took their Clanmate's exit as their cue to approach Leafpool.

"I know what sweet-sedge is, WindClan uses it for the worst of infections. Barkface found a patch between boulders on the moor shortly after we arrived. If Firestar needs it, I can get some," Leafpool blinked at her mate. Crowfeather's pelt was fluffed and his ears tilted back, but his eyes were hard.

"No, I can use horsetail and marigold. If you can find any dry oak leaves that haven't fallen off their trees yet, I can use those." Crowfeather's tail kinked in annoyance, but he dipped his head softly at her before turning away, heading to where Ferncloud and Dustpelt shared tongues with Ashfur.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Leafpool, but I haven't seen Birchpaw since dawn. He went off with Ashfur and he isn't back yet."

"Have you asked Ashfur if he's seen him?"

"No, I didn't want to upset him after what happened to Firestar. Birchpaw might just be hunting alone."

"Go ask him. If Birchpaw isn't back soon we'll send a patrol out to find him."

~ooOoo~

"Littlecloud!" Applepaw dove through the thorn entrance, nearly running into Blackstar. Diving around him, she found Littlecloud poking his head out of his den.

"Shadepaw was hunting near the Twoleg Nest and was bitten by a rat! I-" Blackstar shoved between them, lowering his head to the apprentice.

"Take us to him. Littlecloud?" The medicine cat appeared a moment later, carrying an ivy leaf filled with herbs. Applepaw led them to a group of small pines on the far side of the Twoleg Nest. As they came closer, Blackstar could smell the distinctive scent of blood.

On a bed of pine needles, Shadepaw bled out underneath the overhang of a large fern. Littlecloud shoved Rowanclaw away from apprentice and looked into Tawnypelt's terrified eyes. "I can't make the bleeding stop!"

Littlecloud pressed unchewed marigold leaves onto the slash across his back, ordering without looking up, "Blackstar, chew up as much marigold as you can over the wound, then give me the poultice. Tawnypelt, find cobwebs, as many as you can, and press them over the wound. Rowanclaw, see if you can find foxglove. It has downward leaning paw-shaped leaves. Don't bite it, just bring it to me. Carefully."

Blackstar had learned a long time since to listen his medicine cat in times of crisis. Trying to control his panting, he chewed the bitter leaves over the deep gash in the kit's back. Then he spat the pulp onto his paw and offered it to Littlecloud, who smeared it over the wound. The yellow was almost instantly coated in crimson blood. Tawnypelt bounded through the ferns a moment later, cobwebs clutched in her teeth.

Littlecloud draped them over the wound, then pressed them down. Blood seeped through them as well, and even when Littlecloud layered horsetail sap and more cobwebs, the bleeding didn't stop. Littlecloud's paws were soaked, and Tawnypelt vanished back into the brush after a moment.

Blackstar didn't look up when Rowanclaw stepped through the brush, head tilted to prevent the long plant clutched in his teeth from dragging. Leaving Blackstar to hold the cobwebs down, Littlecloud snatched the foxglove and plucked the petals away with his claws. He crushed the petals into a pulp with his paws, tore the cobwebs from the wound, and dabbed the pulp along the wound.

Several heartbeats later, the tide of blood began to stem. Littlecloud tore a leaf from the fern and swept it across the wound. Then he chewed what remained of the horsetail over fresh cobwebs, which dampened with blood, but did not soak. Littlecloud took a pawstep back, looking down the cat at his paws.

"Carry him back to camp and make him comfortable in the medicine den," Littlecloud instructed, "I'll meet you there." Blackstar didn't bother to watch him vanish into the ferns.


End file.
